MELBOURNE, Australia – Welsh golfer Stuart Manley went from a hole-in-one to an 11 at Royal Melbourne on Saturday in the third round of the World Cup.
The good part came on the par-3 third when Manley moved into a share of second place with the ace with an 8-iron on the 176-yard hole.
Manley patted the roof of the car after the shot, thinking he had won it, but the car is only available for a hole-in-one on Sunday during the final round.
Before he had a chance to see himself on the leaderboard, Manley went from a 1 to double figures on the par-4 fourth. A bad tee shot and a pitch that kept rolling off the green and back down to his feet in the gully dropped him into a tie for 15th.
Manley, who shot an opening-round 67 and then a 72 on Friday, reacquired his European Tour card for next year at last week's qualifying tournament in Spain, then made a rushed trip to Australia.
It's his first time playing at Royal Melbourne — he came here in 2005 in an attempt to get into a tournament, but never got in as a reserve.
The 346th-ranked Manley intended to play in the team event for Wales, but his scheduled partner, Jamie Donaldson, withdrew with a back injury. That forced Manley to play as one of eight individuals in the 60-player field.
Vijay Singh earlier had trouble on the same fourth hole, hitting his approach on the sloping green to about eight feet, only to see it slide away and off the green into the gully. But Singh only made bogey.
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